freespirit Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Hi. I am new to the forum. Writing this makes me a little nervous because first off, I am not entirely sure where I am at. Signing up for this forum was a bit disconcerting. Also, I get nervous about being attacked....I suppose many who leave churches do. Anyway, I'll try to keep this brief. I don't want to write my life story in one post. I was raised Catholic. Never had any problems there to speak of but became "born again" at age 19 and joined a very conservative, fundamentalist movement. My husband did as well and eventually, we ended up pastoring. We were with this group for 19 years. When I say conservative, I did not wear pants or cut my hair all that time. Although I believe there can be good in these movements, our experience was horrible and thankfully, we got out together. Over five years later, we are not attending church at all, after spending some of that time in an evangelical church, although just Sunday morning attenders. One day, I began reading God's Problem by Bart Ehrman. I instinctively knew it would be a life changing book and thought twice about reading it but decided I had lived wrong things long enough. The book blew me away and was very refreshing. Ever since I read the book, I really don't like any scriptural quotes tossed my way to "prove" anything. I guess I probably don't believe in the Bible anymore....at least not like I used to. I think it can be a good principle teacher at times, if people want to use it as such, but it being "God's Word" is now off my radar screen. My husband doesn't really want to talk about these issues, he is fine with just living life for the most part. I kind of like to hash things out a bit, so here I am. I still believe in God, I just think He is very different from what I have been taught. So, hello everyone I am looking forward to getting to know you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Hello Freespirit and welcome to the forums! No need to be nervous. You won't be attacked in this section. We all come from various experiences of Christianity. Some of us have kept an idea of God which does not correspond to the Biblical one. We are a wide variety here - pagans, nontheists, you name it! Its all good! The only thing we have in common (except the few Christians that come in and try to challenge us) is that we don't believe anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hello, Freespirit. Welcome to ExC. No one likes to be attacked and especially over leaving Christianity behind. It sounds like you have come a long way. Glad you found your way out of the religion. Best to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted February 8, 2011 Super Moderator Share Posted February 8, 2011 Welcome! I was raised catholic too, as was my husband. He became a born-againer about 12 years/2 kids after we married. So although I never bought into it, I know more about the conservative fundamentalist movement than I ever thought I would! Take your time and share whatever you want whenever you want. No pressure. Like Deva said, no attacks here. A bit of warning -- you might want to stay out of the Lion's Den until you get your sea-legs! That's where the proselytizers try to drag us back to biblegod. Take care and hope you enjoy it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hello Freespirit and welcome to the forums! No need to be nervous. You won't be attacked in this section. We all come from various experiences of Christianity. Some of us have kept an idea of God which does not correspond to the Biblical one. We are a wide variety here - pagans, nontheists, you name it! Its all good! The only thing we have in common (except the few Christians that come in and try to challenge us) is that we don't believe anymore. Thanks Deva, I think that's what I need....people who are willing to at least look outside of the box!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hell, Freespirit. Welcome to ExC. No one likes to be attacked and especially over leaving Christianity behind. It sounds like you have come a long way. Glad you found your way out of the religion. Best to you. I OF, thanks for the welcome. Some people are questioning why I have "gone this far" and "just how far I'll go". BTW, I assume you meant hello and not Hell. LOL! Don't say hell to a person who is just joining your forum and is a little freaked out. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Welcome! I was raised catholic too, as was my husband. He became a born-againer about 12 years/2 kids after we married. So although I never bought into it, I know more about the conservative fundamentalist movement than I ever thought I would! Take your time and share whatever you want whenever you want. No pressure. Like Deva said, no attacks here. A bit of warning -- you might want to stay out of the Lion's Den until you get your sea-legs! That's where the proselytizers try to drag us back to biblegod. Take care and hope you enjoy it here. I have been posting on a forum where there are "conservatives" and "liberals" from my old church (read all Christians) and I told them basically where I am, but I refuse to discuss it in depth, because I think it is none of their business. Yesterday, a pastor friend I hadn't talked to in two years starts asking me (pushing me) to tell him why "I have gone this far". I told him if he had been talking to me over the course of that time maybe he would know! It was then I felt like I needed to find some like minded people. I suspect people here are very diverse, really, just have in common what we are not. I have been taking some science classes that keep me grounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 BTW, I assume you meant hello and not Hell. LOL! Don't say hell to a person who is just joining your forum and is a little freaked out. LOL! So sorry. Yes, I meant Hello. I corrected the original. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 BTW, I assume you meant hello and not Hell. LOL! Don't say hell to a person who is just joining your forum and is a little freaked out. LOL! So sorry. Yes, I meant Hello. I corrected the original. LOL. Ok. I need to find the edit button myself. I just called Jimbo, Jumbo. Hopefully, he'll forgive me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzgoatee Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Welcome, Freespirit! You won't be "attacked" here for leaving the Church, just congratulated, as you're probably noticing. Having been an athiest most of my life it has been eye-opening for me to read the testimonies on this site of those who have left the Church. I never imagined that a religion could be so opressive and obsessive regarding their control over human beings. Enjoy your time here, please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Welcome, Freespirit! You won't be "attacked" here for leaving the Church, just congratulated, as you're probably noticing. Having been an athiest most of my life it has been eye-opening for me to read the testimonies on this site of those who have left the Church. I never imagined that a religion could be so opressive and obsessive regarding their control over human beings. Enjoy your time here, please! Thank you. Yes, it is pretty amazing how controlling churches can be. Most of my family who are Christians of the lesser serious sort don't understand my issues at all. I can't tell them I am thinking these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8gr8cats Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hi... I understand exactly where you are... I'd say I was in the same place about 5 years ago myself. I used it call... I believe in the GENERIC GOD... no brand A, B or C- I also went from Roman Catholicism to Fundamentalism... and back again.... This is my testimony should you like to see how others evolve- change over time- http://new.exchristian.net/2010/09/my-evolution-from-roman-catholicism-to.html This pretty much is my life story... I am in a place now where I can't believe I believed any of this anymore... Be patient with yourself it's a slow process... Read as much as you can-a really good short book I enjoyed very much is Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris... I know you will find the people here very accepting and loving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hi... I understand exactly where you are... I'd say I was in the same place about 5 years ago myself. I used it call... I believe in the GENERIC GOD... no brand A, B or C- I also went from Roman Catholicism to Fundamentalism... and back again.... This is my testimony should you like to see how others evolve- change over time- http://new.exchristi...olicism-to.html This pretty much is my life story... I am in a place now where I can't believe I believed any of this anymore... Be patient with yourself it's a slow process... Read as much as you can-a really good short book I enjoyed very much is Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris... I know you will find the people here very accepting and loving! Thanks. I'll have to give your story a read sometime. Do you believe in God at all now? I do believe in God and I wish I could be a Christian. I like the idea of community but I just can't seem to stomach it anymore. Sometimes I think maybe the pendulum will swing back and I'll be able to go to church and overlook all the stuff I disagree with just so I can worship God with other people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dronemaker Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Greetings Freespirit! Leaving faith behind is scary if it's all you've ever known. I was raised by a fundamentalist minister and it seemed unthinkable that I would ever not be one myself. But once your eyes are open, you almost can't imagine the beliefs you once held. Living a life of religious belief is like living under an occupation. You have a false sense of security but at any moment you could be held to account for anything you think or do. The juries of fear, guilt and obligation stand ready to convict every time. The moment you see the light, you suddenly realize the occupier is gone. You are truly free. Not the kind of freedom they preach, but truly free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted February 11, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2011 hi Freespirit! So glad to have you! Looking so forward to hearing more of your story! This is my new 'home'. Here, you will meet the greatest, most honest friends in the world. I hope I become one for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Welcome. Glad you are here. I've learned a lot and made some great friends in this place. Don't worry about being attacked in this place (unless it's a christian in one of the other forums) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanta Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Welcome! As you may have figured out from reading around the site, there are different forums for different purposes. Some ex-Christian theists are looking to have their God-concepts challenged and enjoy feisty discussion, and so post about that in the Coloseum or the Lion's Den. Those who wish to explore spirituality/theism without that level of challenge can do so in Ex-Christian Theism and Spirituality. It helps me to know straight away in a post if you are looking to test an idea against criticism or debate challenges or if you are just sharing/looking for like minds/etc. (Though this particular section is purely for support.) Cheers. Phanta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renoliz Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Welcome Freespirit. I had to say hi because I have a set of dogtags that says my real name followed by the the motto traveler and free spirit. It can be a bit of a shock to realize that the Bible is NOT God's Word. I was really nervous when I posted my story. I did a pitiful job of telling my story but...I did it. I think the nerves were from truly saying goodbye to the religion I was raised in and all that meant. I am glad I did it and I think you will be too. You won't be attacked for being an exChristian, that is for sure. If you join in a discussion in the Lion's Den it can be no holds barred but that is generally reserved for those that insist that their Christian faith, god and book are the one way and truth. Hope you enjoy the forums. Sharing with others seems to be an important part of "therapy" when you've had a traumatic experience - which is what losing your religion can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddbird1963 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Welcome, fs. I'm sure you'll get a lot out of these forums and have fun doing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 One day, I began reading God's Problem by Bart Ehrman. I instinctively knew it would be a life changing book and thought twice about reading it but decided I had lived wrong things long enough. The book blew me away and was very refreshing. I agree, I read that book as well awhile back, and I really enjoyed it. Have you read any of his other books as well? I highly recommend them... http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Interrupted-Revealing-Hidden-Contradictions/dp/0061173940/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1297462819&sr=8-3 http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Jesus-Story-Behind-Changed/dp/0060859512/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1297462819&sr=8-6 Welcome to the Forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discern Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hi freespirit, I agree with you about "hashing things out". To me, if I can't explain WHY I'm no longer a christian, then I'd feel like an idiot. Especially if a christian asks me why I left. You mentioned not wearing pants and not cutting hair. Were you in the United Pentecostal Church? From what I understand they have those exact rules (among many others). I grew up in a similar pentecostal group which had a lot of legalism. I do believe in God and I wish I could be a Christian. For me, I wish I could credit God with all the blessings in my life. I wish many of the promises of the bible were true. But after finding problem after problem with the bible and many contradictions, I simply can't believe in the God of the bible anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hi freespirit, I agree with you about "hashing things out". To me, if I can't explain WHY I'm no longer a christian, then I'd feel like an idiot. Especially if a christian asks me why I left. You mentioned not wearing pants and not cutting hair. Were you in the United Pentecostal Church? From what I understand they have those exact rules (among many others). I grew up in a similar pentecostal group which had a lot of legalism. Yepper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Thank you for all the hearty welcomes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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